Hi, I’m Belinda — a coastal photographer, artist, and South Coast local who still pinches herself that this is her full-time job.

Photography has been part of my life since I was a teenager. After a traumatic event in high school, I borrowed the school’s camera and started walking — taking photos became my way to cope, to process, and to breathe. It was a quiet outlet, a form of therapy, and a way to reconnect with the world around me.

After school, the camera was packed away for many years. It wasn’t until I started working in interior design that I picked it up again — mainly to photograph finished spaces for clients. But everything changed in 2016 when I discovered resin art. I was one of the first artists in Australia to create handmade resin homewares like serving boards and bowls. I did my first market at Coledale and, within months, it became my full-time work. I travelled far and wide to sell my pieces at outdoor events and markets across the country.

Back then, photography was just a small side note — I’d bring my camera along to markets and capture the stunning sunrises while setting up. I’d post the images on social media to help promote upcoming events, and to my surprise, people started asking if they could buy them. Honestly, I thought the idea of someone paying for something that brought me so much joy was a bit ridiculous at the time!

But when I opened my first space with The Collective in Shoalhaven Heads, I needed something to fill the shelves that wasn’t handmade — so I added a few small frames of local photos. They sold. Then they sold again. And suddenly, the photography side of my business began to grow.

Since then, it’s evolved into something much bigger than I ever imagined. In 2024, I gave up my resin studio to focus on photography full-time — and I’ve never looked back. While I still dabble in resin occasionally, my heart is with the ocean, the sunrise, and the ever-changing South Coast light.

I feel so incredibly lucky to do this for a living. If I won the lotto tomorrow, I’d still be out chasing sunrises — I’d just have better gear! It’s the greatest privilege to know that my work hangs in homes all over the world, bringing a little piece of this beautiful coastline into people’s everyday lives.

Thanks so much for reading my story, and for supporting what I do. It truly means the world.

— Belinda